Kimberley Walsh recreates 50-year-old magazine photoshoot to show women can do DIY too
Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh is trying to inspire a new generation of female DIY enthusiasts – by recreating a series of male-dominated DIY scenes from a 50-year-old magazine.
Kimberley carried out the 1970s style role-reversal photo shoot to mark its 50th anniversary and celebrate the changing role of women in DIY and beyond, over the past 50 years.
The TV presenter shows sisters how to Do It Themselves by laying carpet and kitchen Lino, fixing bathroom tiles, and putting up a garden shed, in complete contrast to the original 1972 images from magazine Do It Yourself.
The twist on the male-dominated 70s photos comes as new Wickes research among 1,500 women reveals almost half (45%) agree the females featured in the 1970s magazine were depicted as ‘just a housewife’ – and one in four believe women appeared ‘useless without a man.’
Despite some of the original 50-year-old images picturing women carrying out DIY tasks, one in six saw them as depicting women like they have ‘never picked up a tool in their life.’
Unlike stills from the 70s, when those surveyed were shown the modern images taken from magazine and social media, the selected images were met with praise for portraying women as strong and self-reliant.
In fact, two-thirds believe each woman featured had an independent knowledge of DIY and over three in five (62%) even said the overhaul gave off ‘doesn’t need a man to help them’ connotations.
In real terms, when asked about how they compared to males in their life at undertaking DIY, more than a third (37%) said they are better at DIY than male siblings, family members, partners, and friends.
While a high proportion of women still have self-doubt or little confidence when it comes to DIY, over two-thirds (67%) suggested having a female-led children’s TV show, like Bob the Builder, would have encouraged young girls to undertake or take up DIY or home improvement.
The TV presenter, dressed in a modern-day outfit with nods to the seventies, has taken over tasks from her 50-year-old magazine counterparts including installing a floor, spray painting furniture and assembling a shed.
Kimberley, 40, said: “Women’s role in DIY has changed dramatically over the past 50 years, with stereotypes around being solely a housewife or useless at DIY replaced with positive connotations, such as confident and independent.
“And this is super important for the next generation of women looking to embrace DIY or even a trade. As a woman and DIY fanatic, I am so pleased to give a modern twist to a historic image.
“Hopefully, this and my on-going work with Wickes will continue to encourage more women to embrace renovation projects or home improvement.
“It is just a matter of giving women the confidence to get the job done.”
The Women in DIY campaign coincides with Wickes’ 50th anniversary.
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